Hole of Heroes
The Hole of Heroes is a cave in Pikmin 2, found in Wistful Wild, the game's fourth and last area. It is the longest cave in the game with 15 sublevels and of a difficulty comparable to the other Wistful Wild caves. The later sublevels are based around repeats of encounters with bosses from earlier in Pikmin 2, including the Empress Bulblax, Beady Long Legs and Man-at-Legs. The Hole of Heroes is reachable only by the same path used to retrieve the Conifer Spire. The road there involves a Hermit Crawmad, water that needs to be drained, Blowhogs, Sheargrubs, and a protective Armored Cannon Beetle Larva. Pass the Conifer Spire's resting place and traveling down the halfpipe to reach the cave entrance. Be careful not to fall off the treestump and having to take the journey all over again. Obviously you will encounter hordes of enemies and all hazards in this cave. It is highly recommended you take 20 of each color of Pikmin. This way you can face every obstacle with the right color. If you are a bit more confident in your abilities, it might be of interest for you to take 40 Purple Pikmin and 15 of every other color. Frustratingly, the Hole of Heroes, like the other two caves in the Wistful Wild, contains bosses that prove to be quite challenging, but have no suit or gameplay upgrade for collecting the final treasure. Treasures *Corpulent Nut *Essence of True Love *Love Sphere *Lustrous Element *Nutrient Silo (NTSC)/Stringent Container (PAL) *Joyless Jewel *Dimensional Slicer (NTSC)/Patience Tester (PAL) *Treasured Gyro Block *Favorite Gyro Block *Lost Gyro Block *Memorable Gyro Block *Fond Gyro Block *Remembered Old Buddy Enemies *Anode Beetle *Anode Dweevil *Antenna Beetle *Armored Cannon Beetle Larva *Beady Long Legs *Bulbmin *Bulborb Larva *Bumbling Snitchbug *Burrowing Snagret *Careening Dirigibug *Caustic Dweevil *Cloaking Burrow-nit *Creeping Chrysanthemum *Decorated Cannon Beetle *Doodlebug *Dwarf Bulbear *Dwarf Orange Bulborb *Dwarf Red Bulborb *Emperor Bulblax *Empress Bulblax *Female Sheargrub *Fiery Blowhog *Fiery Bulblax *Fiery Dweevil *Greater Spotted Jellyfloat *Hairy Bulborb *Hermit Crawmad *Honeywisp *Iridescent Flint Beetle *Iridescent Glint Beetle *Lesser Spotted Jellyfloat *Male Sheargrub *Mamuta *Man-at-Legs *Mitite *Munge Dweevil *Orange Bulborb *Pileated Snagret *Puffy Blowhog *Ranging Bloyster *Red Bulborb *Shearwig *Skitter Leaf *Snow Bulborb *Spotty Bulbear *Unmarked Spectralids *Volatile Dweevil *Water Dumple *Watery Blowhog *Withering Blowhog *Wogpole *Wollywog *Yellow Wollywog *'Boss: Raging Long Legs' Sublevel 1 Whatever hopes of having a gentle first sublevel is ruined here. Creeping Chrysanthemums, Sheargrubs, Shearwigs, Skitterleafs,and Cloaking Burrow-nits are littered across the scenic maze. Purple Pikmin are the best choice, but be weary of the Dwarf Orange Bulborbs that fall from the sky. It's advised that you escort whatever loads your Pikmin are carrying back to the Research Pod. Aside from the Corpulent Nut, the only other items worth grabbing are nectar or potions, so keep an eye out for eggs. Sublevel 2 Both types of Snitchbugs live down here, along with Anode Beetles, the irritating Careening Dirigibugs, and even an antenna beetle. If that wasn't enough to find all together, bomb rocks drop just like the Dwarf Bulborbs in the last sublevel. Take extreme caution and try to get all of the bombs down with a pilot before bringing your troops in. Excavate the Essense of True Love with White Pikmin. Sublevel 3 Sublevel three is a maze of all four blowhogs. Barriers make this place a pain, especially when there's a Withering Blowhog right on the other side. All of the blowhogs can attack through the barriers, so be careful with the two earthbound types and do your best to keep the Withering Blowhogs from eating away at your Pikmin's flowers. You'll probably need flowered pikmin for the next sublevel. Volatile Dweevils still appear in this level, so be very careful. Try scouting across all the available terrain alone before moving on, but travel with your group with carrying the Love Sphere and the corpses just in case. One mistake could be all it takes to ruin your chances of success. If you're lucky, a Dweevil may appear next to a blowhog and do damage for you, making your job a little easier. Sublevel 4 Here is where you want flower pikmin. It's the first boss return of the cave. There are two Snagrets, one Pileated and one Burrowing, and there's a sandy sinkhole in the middle of the arena that doesn't eat you like in Mario Kart, but it causes a huge issue when you find yourself retreating from the feathered snagret. Note that you do not have to kill both beasts. Only one of them will hold the treasure. Find whatever one makes your gauge scream and fight for the Lustrous Element, but be careful not to walk into both monsters. Locate them both if you must. Sublevel 5 Level five is treasureless. There aren't any creatures here that can kill, and all four of them could even contribute to your squad. Mamutas pound your pikmin into the ground, but give them flowers. Honeywisps and Unmarked Spectralids provide nectar or, if you're lucky, a potion. Glint Beetles have the same random results, nectar, potions, or a pellet. If you have taken severe damage and feel you need to return to the surface, there's a gyser waiting for you here. There's also a Queen Candypop Bud and plenty of nectar just in case there's on leaf or bud among your flowered soldiers. Sublevel 6 If your blue pikmin are low on numbers, the are some Candypop Buds here in your favor. You are going to need them if you want a safe journey across this place. Interestingly, this level's layout is only seen twice, and the music is unique for the Hole of Heroes. Anyway, find a safe place for your non-aquatic troops. That may involve some fighting for the territory. If not, great! The enemies here prove to be chores, aside from the Wogpoles, but the creatures can be problematic if you're retreating or in a situation where you need all the room you can get without having to call off more soldiers. If you need to, Water Dumples don't take too long to kill with a pilot. After gathering the peanut butter as your treasure, get rid of the seal over the cave and jump in for your next boss fight. Sublevel 7 This arena is roomy, and you'll find a Raging Bloyster just waiting to feed. Get your Pikmin safe and defeat the Cannon Beetles with their own boulders before moving to the big blob. Split into two teams, surround the beast, and alternate between captains to get a good shot at the bulb on the monster's back. Soon enough, you'll get the Joyless Jewel as the prize. Sublevel 8 You're more than halfway through, but you get another chance to go back to the surface here, along with red Candypop Buds and a Queen Candypop Bud. If you've lost Pikmin, you can use that and the Bulbmin wandering down here. Be careful, aside from the bulbmin, Doodlebugs may appear to endanger your soldiers. Lastly, there's a good chance to get nectar and sprays here. Don't worry, there's no treasure here. Sublevel 9 Bulborbs dominate in this sublevel, and since you're already encountered most of them, if not all of them, then you know exactly how dangerous they can be. It's possible the Bulbear is behind a barrier, so don't rush to tear them down until you're sure. If you're going to kill all the beasts here, good luck to you. Purple Pikmin are no doubt the choice to go with. Be careful when fighting a mature beast surrounded by smaller bulborbs or bulbears, especially in the case of the Spotty Bulbear. If you can, try getting the walking monster inside the empty pool and attack from above. Again, be careful, and be fast if you're not going to use a Bitter Spray to defeat the Bulbear, as the thing will come back to life somehow if given enough time. The Dimension Slicer is somewhere hidden in here, and probably not really worth fighting every monster here, but get it anyway. You probably won't want to make a second trip here just for that thing. If you're going to tackle the Fiery Bulblax, you can use red or purple pikmin. Purples will work, but call them back fast. Sublevel 10 Relive another boss battle as the montage of the bulborb family continues, this time with the previous game's final boss. These two aren't nearly as big, but they're still deadly. If you're going to scout for nectar and sprays before to attack them, but warned that Mitites may show up. Just like with the two Snagrets, only one of these bulblax holds a treasure of 80 pokos. Purples still prove to be the favorite choice. Sublevel 11 The bulborb montage reaches a climax as an Empress Bulblax is the last in the family to defeat. The Bulborb larva will be instant trouble. Keep your pikmin away from them. They eat pikmin fast, and seem to have a stomach like Mr. Luggs from Luigi's Mansion. Get rid of them all before meeting the Empress and going after the treasure she somehow swallowed. Attack with Purples if you can. If not, red pikmin may do just as well, but any Pikmin can do the job. Be careful when dealing with the beast and make sure you know what you're going to do about the offspring when they arrive, if they have time to. By the way, take cover when she starts to roll from side to side. The ceiling conveniently comes down very close to where you stand. At the end of the fight, feel free to search for any nectar or sprays that weren't dropped by the larva. Sublevel 12 You had the last gyser exit four sublevels ago, and here's your last exit before moving onward to the last three sublevels of the cave. I suggest you use bulbmin, if you have any, to sprout White Pikmin or throw into the Queen Candypop Bud. Otherwise, you'll lose the bulbmin as you leave the cave. Change them into Pikmin and you can take them home with you. Be careful with the Doodlebug somewhere here, but feel free to attack the other two Iridescent Beetles. The Glint one has a treasure, so keep searching until you catch it. Sublevel 13 The Hole of Heroes, geniously named, holds a few final surprises for you, as the creatures you're going to face from now on go from organic to metallic, and the Man-at-Legs here is the bridge between the two. The spider awaits in the middle of a moat of water, so take blue pikmin with you, assuming they survived sublevel six. Best of luck in this fight, and take shelter behind the metal walls and bumps littered around here. Collect the Memorable Gyro Block, which by now you have probably realized has three counterparts that look just like it, aside from color, all of which appearing in the last three sublevels. Sublevel 14 Sublevel is the second to last level in this extensive cave, and the creatures here are obviously trying to hint at something. But regardless, deal with all of the dweevils here before tackling the Beady Long Legs, who's the original inspiration for the boss you just battled, and the one you're about to. It doesn't matter which type of pikmin you use against it, but be weary of the water that lies around here. When you finally win, gather the last member of the Gyro Block family before moving onto the final battle the Hole of Heroes has to offer! Sublevel 15 The final battle is down here, on the fifteenth level, but that doesn't mean you should rush straight into it. Take care of all the Jellyfloats before getting to close to the middle. When you finally finish off all the jellyfish, go to meet the beast Beady Long Legs inspired, Raging Long Legs. Big guy, and he may fool you. The fact that he's slow may convince you he's not too bad, right before he shakes your pikmin off and starts stomping towards you like a bull. It may be intimidating, but it's also a big target. Unlike with some giant mechanical beasts threatening everything around it, the safest place to be is not beneath it, but at least here the threat of being crushed isn't too bad, especially after you figure out what order the giant legs operate in. Use a small group of purples, or a bigger one at your own risk. Your prize is Remembered Old Buddy, or ROB, to take as a souvenir.